Tyler Ennis has suited up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs. In August, he’ll suit up in the postseason with the Edmonton Oilers. It will be different from any other experience that Ennis has had in the NHL. Not just because it will take place in August, without fans, in a “bubble” either.
It’ll be different because the native of Edmonton will be living out a childhood dream. It’s one that thousands of kids have had but never lived.
“In terms of playing in the playoffs in my home city, there’s a lot of pride there,” Ennis told reporters on Sunday. “I’m very proud to be an Oiler. It’s a dream come true. The opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup, in any capacity, in my hometown is amazing.”
Ennis was traded to the Oilers on trade deadline day by the Ottawa Senators. The Oilers had for years tried to sign the Alberta boy, including this most recent summer.
He’ll be a free agent in October, but the club does have interest in bringing Ennis back. According to sources, the interest is mutual. It will come down to price and how Ennis performs in the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Ennis has been to the postseason four times. He went in 2010 and 2011 with the Buffalo Sabres, and scored his first career playoff goal in 2010 against the Boston Bruins.
He scored his first playoff overtime goal a year later against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Ennis also appeared in the playoffs with the Minnesota Wild (2018) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2019).
Those experiences have given him a glimpse of what playoff life in the NHL is like. He knows what to expect, even if the situation is vastly different.
“In any playoff situation, they (players) are going to give it their all but that’s especially true and even more so for me coming from Edmonton,” he said. “It means a lot. As a hometown kid, I’m proud to be an Edmontonian and I love Edmonton. It’s too bad that we’re all going to be in a bubble because there is a lot to offer.”
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